Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert-Chapter 577
Chapter 577
The sun of the desert was rising.
As the sun rose, dyeing the orange sand an even deeper red, it brought him an overwhelming sense of emotion.
Jin Geumho sat at the entrance of the Steel Fortress and stared endlessly at the sun emerging above the horizon.
On Jin Geumho’s face floated a mysterious expression that could not be described with words.
It seemed as if he was smiling, and yet it also seemed as if he was crying.
That expression remained on his face for a long time.
Zeon and the people of the Steel Fortress did not approach Jin Geumho.
They did not know exactly what emotions he was feeling right now, but they did not want to disturb him for no reason.
When the sun had risen high into the sky, Jin Geumho organized his emotions and stood up.
With a slightly embarrassed expression, he spoke.
“I showed an unsightly side of myself.”
“It’s not like that.”
“It’s the first time.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s the first time I’ve come outside since establishing Neo Seoul.”
“You mean you haven’t come out even once for more than a hundred years?”
“That’s right!”
At Jin Geumho’s answer, Zeon showed an expression of disbelief.
A man with that level of power could come out of Neo Seoul whenever he wished.
Reading Zeon’s thoughts, Jin Geumho let out a faint smile.
“I cannot die, nor can I be injured. The moment I am absent or show weakness, not only the districts but also villains and scavengers will rise up like wildfire. Then Neo Seoul’s strength will weaken, and someday it will collapse. That is why I have never left Neo Seoul even once. I could not tolerate even the smallest threat. Do I look like a coward to you?”
“Not at all. I think it’s rather incredible courage.”
Zeon shook his head.
Jin Geumho was a man with the power to go anywhere he wished.
The very fact that such a man had confined himself inside Neo Seoul for more than a hundred years without ever going outside proved that he was no ordinary person.
“I’m grateful that you think that way.”
“Because it’s the truth.”
“Anyway, this is my first outing. You could say it’s an outing after a hundred years.”
“Congratulations.”
Zeon spoke sincerely.
“Thank you! Thanks to you, humanity’s territory has expanded further. You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this moment.”
For more than a hundred years, Jin Geumho had tried to expand the territory of Neo Seoul.
But no matter how hard he tried, Neo Seoul’s territory did not expand any further.
It was because there were as many demonic beasts preventing expansion as there were grains of sand in that desert.
He had mobilized dozens and hundreds of demon beast hunting teams and dungeon assault squads to somehow eliminate the monsters, but all those efforts ended in vain.
Whenever one demon beast was killed, another would fill the empty spot.
Everything was always the same, like a squirrel running endlessly on a wheel.
Fortunately, they had at least discovered a Magic Stone mine and fortified it.
Aside from that, they had not managed to create any other human territory.
And yet, far away from Neo Seoul, a land large enough for humans to live in had been reclaimed.
It did not matter that it was not his own achievement.
What mattered was that humanity had secured territory where it could stably prosper.
And most encouraging of all was that a means had been established to safely travel to areas outside Neo Seoul.
Through the portal, the people of Neo Seoul could freely travel to the Steel Fortress.
Conversely, the people of the Steel Fortress could also enter Neo Seoul.
It was truly a revolution.
“You have no idea how long I’ve waited for a moment like this. I’m truly glad a day like this came before I died.”
Perhaps because Seo Taeran, who always accompanied him, was not by his side, Jin Geumho revealed his honest emotions without filtering them.
Zeon realized it was the first time he had ever seen Jin Geumho make such an expression.
After a moment, Jin Geumho suppressed his intense emotions and regained his usual cold expression.
“Zeon!”
“Yes!”
“How many Teleportation Gems are left?”
Jin Geumho’s eyes had turned golden.
It would be useless to tell a lie in front of those eyes.
“There are five more.”
“So that means five more places can be connected to Neo Seoul. Have you decided where to install them?”
“I’ve decided on two places for now.”
“Would you tell me where they are?”
“You already know, don’t you?”
“The skill I possess, Heavenly Eye, allows me to see the flow of the world. I know that you are entangled with a great current. But I cannot know exactly where that place is, unless you tell me.”
There was no one in Neo Seoul who could travel the desert as freely as Zeon.
Other Awakened had to move in groups just to survive in the desert, but Zeon could survive alone without any problem.
Sometimes he would go out into the desert for months at a time.
It was obvious that he had somewhere to stay even after leaving Neo Seoul.
And there was also the flow of the world he had seen through the Heavenly Eye.
It was certain that Zeon knew a place with a destiny as powerful as Neo Seoul.
Jin Geumho spoke.
“I think the time has come for us to honestly reveal our cards.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because I can see it, the flow of the world has changed. Until now, this Earth has been hostile to humanity. As if it did not want the human species to survive. That’s why I had no choice but to operate Neo Seoul more and more closed off. I built an Steel Fortress and waited for the flow of the world to turn in humanity’s favor.”
“Do you think that time is now?”
“Heavenly Eye is not omnipotent. I cannot know everything. But there is one thing I know for certain, the flow is changing. You could say we’ve reached a kind of inflection point. Depending on how we accept and control this flow, the survival of humanity will be decided.”
Zeon thought Jin Geumho’s eyes were burning hotter than ever before.
It was the first time that Jin Geumho, who had always shown only a refined appearance, had revealed his inner thoughts this openly.
Jin Geumho continued.
“I’ll reveal my card first. I am creating a satellite called Heavenly Punishment.”
“So it really was a satellite.”
“You knew?”
“I only suspected.”
“I believed that if humanity wanted to reclaim Earth, we had to launch a satellite high into the sky. With a satellite, we could locate humans and eliminate large demon beasts using optical weapons. That’s why I began the project. Heavenly Punishment will be completed soon.”
“So you plan to deliver heavenly punishment to the demon beasts.”
“I will deliver heavenly punishment to everything that stands hostile to humanity.”
Whoosh!
As if his will itself had manifested, a dazzling golden light poured from Jin Geumho’s eyes.
Zeon found Jin Geumho’s determination frightening. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚
The very fact that a single human could live for more than a hundred years pursuing only one goal was astonishing.
‘Well, someone like that is the kind of person who could build a massive city like Neo Seoul.’
The only human that the arrogant Deiod had ever acknowledged was Jin Geumho.
Zeon also acknowledged him.
That was why he had shown him one of his powerful cards.
And now it seemed time to reveal the rest.
After organizing his thoughts for a moment, Zeon spoke.
“What would you think if a land full of lush green forests existed?”
“I would claim it somehow.”
“What if it already had an owner?”
“So that’s the key. If it weren’t for you, I would have taken it by force no matter what.”
Jin Geumho honestly revealed his thoughts.
At this point, there was no reason to hide or deceive anything.
After all, he and Zeon needed to speak openly with each other.
However, he added one condition.
“But you would not allow that. In that case, we will interact on equal terms.”
“Do you promise?”
“I swear it on my honor and on Neo Seoul.”
“I’ll tell you about one place first. I’ll tell you about the other when the time is right.”
Zeon planned to open the Forest of Origin first.
The High Elf village where the World Tree stood still had to remain hidden.
The Forest of Origin was important, but the High Elf village was even more important.
The World Tree itself was the only possibility that could restore Earth to its original state.
A place that precious could not be carelessly revealed or opened.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of place it is.”
Jin Geumho nodded with an expression full of anticipation.
“Before that, let’s negotiate with the Steel Fortress.”
“Very well. If it’s alright, could you go to City Hall and bring Taeran? She’s good at handling matters like this.”
“Understood.”
Zeon nodded.
Now that the portal had been installed, it was not a difficult task.
Zeon crossed the portal and went to Jin Geumho’s residence.
At the portal installed there, Seo Taeran and Seong Hoyeon were waiting.
Seeing Zeon come through the portal, Seo Taeran asked with a hardened expression.
“What is this portal? Where is the Mayor right now? If even the slightest scratch has appeared on the Mayor’s body, I will never forgive you.”
Seo Taeran’s eyes as she looked at Zeon were full of hostility.
When morning came and she could not sense Jin Geumho’s presence, she opened the door, and was shocked.
Jin Geumho had vanished without a trace, and only an unfamiliar portal remained.
Seo Taeran instinctively realized that the portal was connected to Jin Geumho’s disappearance and tried to enter it.
But the portal did not allow her inside without permission.
So she had called Seong Hoyeon, the leader of the Numbers, and waited here.
Guessing the situation, Zeon smiled and said,
“The Mayor is currently in a place called the Steel Fortress. And of course, he hasn’t suffered a single injury.”
“So this portal leads to the Steel Fortress?”
“Come with me. It’ll be faster to see it yourself than to explain it.”
“Fine.”
Seo Taeran answered without a moment of hesitation.
“So I’ll finally see this place called the Steel Fortress.”
Seong Hoyeon, the leader of the Numbers, followed Zeon with a smile on his lips.
Zeon granted them permission to use the portal.
Thanks to that, unlike before, they were able to enter the portal easily.
With a dizzying sensation of floating, the scenery changed in an instant.
“This is the Steel Fortress?”
“Welcome, Taeran.”
Jin Geumho greeted the surprised Seo Taeran.
Then Seong Hoyeon suddenly pushed his head forward in front of Jin Geumho.
“I came too, you know?”
“You came as well.”
“So you were enjoying such a magnificent view all by yourself.”
“There is plenty of time. You can take a look around slowly. But first, we must negotiate with the leadership of this place.”
“Negotiation? Understood.”
Seong Hoyeon nodded.
Jin Geumho headed toward the central plaza with the two of them.
There, Urtian and Deborah were waiting.
Urtian greeted them with a stiff expression.
“Welcome to the Steel Fortress.”
Urtian was originally a scavenger and feared nothing in the world, but he could not act that way in front of Jin Geumho.
Jin Geumho, the ruler of Neo Seoul, was a person on an entirely different level from him.
Not only Urtian, but no one in this world could remain completely calm in front of Jin Geumho.
Jin Geumho smiled and said,
“Thank you.”
“…Pardon?”
“For creating this new base. For accepting so many people. I will spare no support in developing the Steel Fortress.”
“I did not accomplish this alone. Without Zeon and the help of many others, it would have been impossible.”
“I know. Now let’s calmly negotiate. Let’s discuss what direction will be best for both sides.”
“I’ll say this in advance, there will be no one-sided sacrifices or concessions.”
“The same goes for us.”
“Then let’s begin.”
“Very well.”
The working staff of both sides sat down.
From the Steel Fortress sat Deborah and the leadership, while from Neo Seoul Seo Taeran took her seat.
Even though she had come to the Steel Fortress without any preparation, there was not the slightest wavering in Seo Taeran’s expression.
She had already prepared extensively for situations like this.
“Our Steel Fortress…”
“In Neo Seoul…”
A war without guns or blades had begun.
